AI Adoption in Brazil: Transforming Business Models Amid Operational Challenges
Brazilian companies are rapidly adopting AI to create autonomous business models, yet operational challenges remain significant hurdles to maximize AI's value.
- • SAP NOW AI Tour Brazil highlighted the 'Autonomous Enterprise' model using AI to handle repetitive tasks.
- • The 'The Value of AI: Brazil 2026' study found 89% of companies use generative AI, with ROI expected to rise from 19% to 38%.
- • Operational challenges such as poor data quality and unmanaged 'shadow AI' are significant obstacles.
- • Priscila Zillo stressed the importance of identifying business bottlenecks before AI adoption to ensure sustainable growth.
Key details
Recent developments in AI adoption have spotlighted its transformative role in reshaping Brazilian business models, while also highlighting critical operational challenges companies face. The SAP NOW AI Tour Brazil, held in São Paulo on September 9-10, 2026, promoted the concept of the 'Autonomous Enterprise' where AI handles repetitive tasks under human oversight, letting employees focus on higher-level activities. This event featured over 100 SAP clients sharing success stories and trainings, alongside the unveiling of the "The Value of AI: Brazil 2026" study. Conducted with Oxford Economics and surveying 200 Brazilian companies among 2,600 globally, the study revealed that 89% of companies already use generative AI and 86% implement automation with AI. The reported current average AI ROI in Brazil is 19%, expected to double to 38% within two years. However, challenges such as poor data quality (reported by 75% of firms) and "shadow AI" — unsanctioned AI tool usage by employees affecting 45% of companies — continue to hinder full AI potential.
Complementing this technological optimism, Priscila Zillo Sobral, CEO of Grupo Permaneo, emphasized at Hotmart FIRE 2026 in Belo Horizonte the importance of diagnosing operational bottlenecks before scaling investments or rolling out AI solutions. She cautioned against assuming increased activity equals growth, highlighting that many companies suffer from inefficiencies that drain time, money, and energy, likened to a "bucket with holes." Zillo underlined that businesses must first identify constraints, such as market understanding, revenue architecture, personnel management, tax planning, and leadership capacity, to fully benefit from AI adoption. Her perspective stresses that AI should be a tool to resolve clearly defined problems rather than merely increasing tasks.
Brazil's digital economy shows promising signs as AI-related products generated over R$ 200 million in gross sales from August 2025 to July 2026, evidencing the growing relevance of AI technologies across sectors. Taken together, these insights portray a Brazilian business environment advancing toward AI-driven autonomy but requiring strategic operational focus to avoid pitfalls that could undercut growth.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
